rine, a native of Livonia, whom he had raised to that dignity from being the wife of a Swedish corporal, and a captive. Prince Mentzikoff, his chief favourite, and one of his best generals, had been in his youth a pastry-cook. The prefent Emprefs of Ruflia is Catherine II. who fucceeded in 1762, upon the depofition and death of her husband Peter III. formerly Duke of Holstein.

own.

Christianity was introduced into Ruffia about the end of the tenth century, by the zeal of a princefs, as it had been formerly into France and Britain. The Ruffian church used to be fubject to the patriarch of Conftantinople; but about the end of the fixteenth century, it had an independent patriarch of its This office Peter abolifhed, on account of its exorbitant power. All religious matters are now under the direction of a council, called the Holy Synod. Besides archbishops and bishops, there are two metropolitans, the one refiding at Kioff, and the other at Tobolfki. Although the Ruffians difclaim image-worfhip, their churches are full of the pictures of faints; and in their private devotions they kneel before fome image. They retain many other fuperftitious and idolatrous cuftoms, fuch as bowing and crolling themfelves when they pafs by a church, and proftrating themselves at the entrance. Even the ringing. of bells is confidered as an act of devotion. Divine fervice is performed in the Sclavonic tongue, which, as it differs much from the modern Ruffian language, is only understood by the clergy,

The profeffors of all religions are tolerated, Jews and Jesuits excepted: a great number of the Russian subjects are Mahometans and Pagans.

SWEDEN.

WEDFN is bounded by Danish or Norwegian Lapland on the north; by Ruffia on the eaft; by the Baltic on the fouth; by the Sound, the Scaggerac Sea or Cattegate, and the - Dofrine mountains, on the wett: 800 miles in length, and 500 in breadth; between 56 and 69 N. lat. and 10 and 35° E. long.

The principal divifions are, SCHONEN--chief town, Lunden: GOTHLAND-Gottenburg, Norcoping, Christianstadt, Calmar : SWEDEN PROPER-STOCKHOLM *, N. lat. 59° 20; E. lon. 19°

* Stockholm is built on each fide of the influx of the lake Mellor, irto the Baltic, and on an iiland in that influx or freight. The inland is properly the city, and the buildings on each fide, the fuburbs, which have communications with the city by two long wooden bridges; on one of which are the butchers flaughter houfes, and fhambles, and on the other, the fish market. These mar kets are kept clean by water pumped up from below, and the frorg current erries off completely all filth.

30.; Upfal, an archbishop's fee: WEST BOTHNIA, and part of Lapland; EAST BOTHNIA, and part of Finland-Abo, Nystad, Cajenburg, Uma, Torne.

The islands in the Baltic belonging to Sweden are, Aland, Gothland, Oeland, and Rugen.

Sweden, in general, is a cold, barren, mountainous country, It abounds with lakes and torrents, but has few navigable rivers, and these are frozen up for four or five months in the year, as is likewife the Baltic. The chief wealth of Sweden arifes from its mines of filver, copper, lead, and iron.

The Swedes were anciently free, and their King elective. In 1397, the crowns of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, were united by Margaret, daughter of Waldemar, Queen of Denmark, firnamed the Semiramis of the North. Chriftiern, one of her fucceffors, wishing to become abfolute in Sweden, by the affiftance of Trollo, Archbishop of Upfal and Primate of Sweden, formed a plot for maffacring the principal nobility, who oppofed his views; which inhuman defign was executed at Stockholm, 8th November 1520. Sweden was delivered from his tyranny by GUSTAVUS VASA, defcended from the ancient royal family, who, having efcaped from prison, had taChriftiern was ken refuge in the mountains of Dalecarlia. depofed by his own fubjects for his cruelty, 1523. Under Gustavus Vafa the Proteftant religion was introduced into Sweden, as it was taught by Luther. Vafa died 1559.

His grandfon GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS, and the fourth in order of fucceffion from him, by his great abilities and noble exploits filled all Europe with his renown. Being fet at the head of the Proteftant confederacy in Germany, he defeated. the Imperial troops in repeated engagements, in one of which the famous Auftrian general Count Tilly was flain. But in the midst of his fucceffes, Guftavus was killed in battle fighting against Walftein, the fucceflor of Tilly, on the plain of Lutzen, 15th November 1632, aged only thirty-feven. His lieutenant-general, however, Duke Bernard of Saxe-Weimar, gained a complete victory. The war was continued with great fuccefs by Sweden and the Proteftants in Germany, aided by France, under the famous generals Bernard, Bannier, Torftenfon, Wrangel, and others, all trained under Gustavus, till it was finally terminated by the celebrated treaty of Weftphalia, 24th October 1648; by which the Proteftant religion and the liberties of Germany were established on a folid basis. The affairs of Sweden were conducted by Chancellor Oxenftiern, a man of great fagacity, during the minority of CHRISTINA,

the

the only child of Guftavus, who was only fix years of age at her father's death. This capricious Queen, from a paffion for letters, refigned the crown to her coufin Charles Adolphus, fon to the Duke of Deux-Ponts, 1654; and, embracing the Catholic religion, retired to Rome, where he was not treated with that deference fhe expected. She died 1689.

Charles XI. the fon of Charles Adolphus, oppreffed the liberties of Sweden, and made himself abfolute. CHARLES XII. his fon, who fucceeded 1697, aged 15, was one of the most distinguished warriors of modern times. At an early period of life, he performed wonderful exploits against the Dancs, the Poles, and the Ruffians, who had all combined to crufh him. Laying fiege to Copenhagen, he forced the King of Denmark to accept a peace; he depofed Auguftus King of Poland, 1702; but afterwards madly attempting to dethrone Czar Peter, he was completely defeated by him at Pultowa, 1709. Upon this Charles took refuge in Turkey, where he remained for five years. Being ordered to depart from that country, with a frantic boldness he attempted, at Bender, with 300 Swedes, to defend himfelf against 30,000 Turks. Having at laft returned to Sweden, he refumed the war against Denmark. He was killed by a musket fhot at the fiege of Frederickshall, a frontiertown of Norway belonging to the Danes, 1718, aged thirtyfix. After his death, the Swedes recovered their former liberty; but were deprived of it, by the addrefs of their late King, Guflavus. This change took place 19th Auguft 1772.

DENMARK.

HE dominions of Denmark confit of Denmark Proper,

TNorway, Lapland, Iceland, Greenland, the Faro iflands,

and fome territories in Cermany.

DENMARK PROPER confifts of the peninfula of Jutland, and the islands at the entrance of the Baltic; Zealand, between the Sound and the Greater Belt; Funen, between the two Belts; and feveral other leffer iflands, Langland, Laland, Falfter, Mona, Femeren, and Alfen.

JUTLAND-Chief towns, Alburg, fituate on the gulf of Limburg; Wiburg, Arhufen, Scanderbourg, Ripen, Fredericia. The fouth part of Jutland is called the duchy of SLYS

WICK.

ZEALAND

ZEALAND-COPENHAGEN, 55-30 N. lat. 13° E. lon. ElGnore, where all the fhips which enter the Baltic pay toll. NORWAY, called Norgie by the natives, is divided into four governments, Chriftiana, Chriftianfand, Bergen, and Drontheim, fo called from cities of the fame name.

The Viceroy of the King of Denmark refides at Bergen.

Other cities of note are, Koningsberg, famous for its filver mines, which were firft difcovered 1623; Frederickthall; Frederickstadt; Arndal, fituate on a rock in the river Nid,

&c.

This is one of the most mountainous countries in the world. A chain of mountains extends between Norway and Sweden above 800 miles. Some of the ridges are eftecmed the higheft ground in Europe. Thefe are called Hardanger, fixty miles over; Filefield, Dolrefield, &c. At the foot of feveral of these mountains are caverns of a prodigious extent.

On the north coast of Norway, in lat. 68, is that dreadful vortex, called the Maleftrom or Mofkoeftrom, from the adjoining ifland Motkoe, which fwallows up every thing that comes near it. The noife of it is heard at a great distance; and its attraction is faid sometimes to reach more than fix Englifh miles. At the turn of ebb and flow, the water, for a fhort time, becomes ftill.

The Norwegian feas are faid to contain various monsters; fome of them of an incredible fize. The fea-ferpent is above 100 feet long; the kraken or korven is reported to be a mile and an half in circumference. But what is related concerning it, and concerning the mermen, and merwomen or mermaids, is fabulous.

The moft remarkable cape is at the bottom of the Scaggerac Sea, called the Nafe of Norway.

LAPLAND is very thinly peopled. The inhabitants are of low ftature, and moftly Heathens. They live chiefly by fitling and hunting. In this country is produced the rein-deer, a moft ufeful animal, and of furprising speed in travelling.

The only place worth notice is WARDIUS, an old fort and ha:bour, with a few houfes, in a fmall ifland of the fame name, about one hundred miles caft from North Cape, N. lat. 71.-55.

ICELAND is fituate between 63 and 66° 30 N. lat. and 12 and 27 W. lon. about 400 miles long, and 180 broad. The chief town is Scalholt. The inhabitants are fuppofed to be about 80,000, molt of them Chriftians, but fome Heathens.

The

The most remarkable thing in this island is Mount HECLA, which, although covered with fnow, is always throwing up flames of fulphur, and torrents of boiling water, which renders it unfafe to approach it.

GREENLAND is divided into Eaft Greenland and Weft

Greenland.

The extent of this country is unknown, as mariners have been prevented from failing beyond the 80 or 81 deg. of N. lat. by mountains of ice; nor is it agreed to which quarter of the world it belongs.

EAST GREENLAND, called alfo Spitsbergen, from its rocky coafts, was first difcovered by Sir Hugh Willoughby, in 1553. It is quite uninhabited, although fome Europeans, who were accidentally left here, made a fhift to preferve themfelves through the winter. In the fummer-feafon the Dutch and English carry on the whale-fifhery on its coafts.

WEST GREENLAND, which extends from 60 to 75 deg. N. lat. is inhabited by a wild fort of people, to the number of 7000, who in fummer employ themfelves in fishing and hunting; and in winter live in small huts, which are dug to a great depth below ground, and raifed only a little above the furface.

The ftraits betwixt Greenland and North America, are caled Davis's Straits, from Captain Davis, an Englishman, who firft failed through thofe feas, 1585.

The FARO or FERRO ISLANDS, are fo called from their lying in a cluster, and the inhabitants ferrying from one island to another. They are about 24 in number, of fmall extent, N. lat. 64 deg. W. lon. 7. deg. between Iceland and the ShetThe inhabitants are fuppofed to amount to about

land iflands.

4000.

From Denmark and the north of Germany iffued thofe fwarms of barbarians, who, for feveral ages, under the name of Danes and Normans, ravaged the different countries of Eu

rope.

The regal dignity in Denmark was at first elective; but in procefs of time, to prevent the horrible ravages of civil wars, it became hereditary in the prefent family. The powers of the crown, however, were very limited. The common people, being oppreffed by the nobles, at the inftigation of the clergy, put themfelves under the protection of the King; and, according to a preconcerted plan, made a folemn furrender of their liberties to Frederick III. at Copenhagen, 1660. He accepted